Regardless of the politically-correct finish to this film and the predictable prison stereotypes, this was a fun film to watch simply because it entertained. It was a good diversion, filled with total nonsense mayhem and testosterone-gone-wild. In other words, this was a typical Jason Statham film. No matter how many of these ultra-macho men he plays, he gets away with it with charm and likability.
In this story, Statham as "Jensen Ames" is like David battling Goliath but with no slingshot and Goliath having a flame thrower and AK-47, too. Yet, you just know "David" will a find to defy all odds! Here are some movie clichés of today. See if they sound familiar.
Not only has our hero suffer with his beautiful and loving wife murdered, but he's framed for the kill. Sent a brutal prison, he finds the female warden is responsible, and the killer of his wife also is in the jail. Too add salt to the wounds, that guy taunts "Jensen." Filmmakers haven't made a nice-guy warden since the 1950. Here, the sadistic boss is a woman: "Hennessey," played by Joan Allen, who I thought had some class before I saw this film. Spewing the f-word, "coc-sucker" and a few other choice words, sort of ruined that image I had of her.
Anyway, the mean old warden got our hero in prison there so he can be the new "Frankenstein" race driver. The races at her prison, it turns out, are filmed live and are big internet moneymakers for her. "Frankenstein" is the favorite driver of the computer-audience but he's too injured to go on, so "Hennessey" recruits Mr. Ames, whom she knows is a great driver.
Mostly there are nothing but bad folks in here and a lot of ultra-violent scenes, one-after-the-other. You also have other cliché prison characters, the kind you see in all prison films since "The Longest Yard." Beware of jiggling hand-held camera scenes, if that kind of thing gives you a headache.
Having said all that, I admit the film is interesting start-to-finish, the racing scenes terrific, the film effectively manipulative, and overall qualifies as a decent means of entertainment. Statham is the new Steve Seagal, Jean-Claude VanDamme, etc - but that's okay; some of their movies were fun to watch, too.